Barack Obama’s Effective Rhetorical Strategies in “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” (Essay Example)

Feminism is in need of a voice and a community in order for the movement to take place. In 2016, Barack Obama who was an idol and leader to the United States, stepped forward with his own ideas as a feminist. President Obama left a legacy on women’s issues when stepping forward about feminism in his “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” article. Obama expresses to United States citizens the progress women have made in society and remarks that now is an “extraordinary time to be a woman” (Obama). His message addresses the double standards and pressures that exist for not only women, but men too. He presents his support to the feminist community but also encourages his audience to take action in supporting women’s rights. Obama demonstrates the progress in women's roles by comparing and contrasting. This allows the audience to understand the progress women have made over time. President Obama uses pathos and ethos, along with moral diction, to support the ideas of feminism. Obama’s application of pathos and ethos sets up his argument that men can be feminists too. His frequent references to his own personal experiences allow his ethos credibility on gender rights to evolve. President Obama uses metaphors to create a visual representation of his thoughts to better his argument. His powerful use of compare and contrast patterns, imagery, metaphors, and anaphoras allows his argument to empower his audience and support women’s rights. 

In 2016, American’s saw a spike in feminist activity. Strides in feminism were made from Simone Biles to Hillary Clinton to Harriet Tubman. Hillary Clinton managed to break the glass ceiling and became the first female nominee of a large party. Clinton spoke encouragement to “all the little girls watching” to never “doubt how valuable” they are and how they “[deserve] every chance and opportunity in the world” (Clinton). Her campaign was to advocate women’s rights, setting a monumental movement for feminism. In the athletic arena, Olympic medalist Simone Biles was the first United States Gymnast to win four gold medals, setting history for female athletes. In April of 2016, it was also announced that Andrew Jackson would be replaced by Harriet Tubman on the twenty-dollar bill. Tubman would be the first ever African-American woman to be honored on U.S. currency. These few of many examples, demonstrated how 2016 was the highlight of feminism. History was made by many women, amplifying Obama’s “This Is What a Feminist Look Like” article which was also written during 2016. 

Obama begins his argument by stating the difficulties he partakes in his presidency. He begins by saying there are “a lot of tough aspects to being president” showing his dispiriting and unmotivating tone (Obama). This method of persuasion is efficient because it creates an emotional rollercoaster for United States citizens. He begins to explain how being a president is tough because he is unable to be the father and husband that he aspires to be. Obama includes this in his article to create a pathos appeal for his audience. This allows the reader to understand his feelings and provides a background to his own ideas of feminism. He uses a metaphor to explain that watching his daughters “prepare to leave the nest” is not easy for him (Obama). Obama follows up this statement by expressing his optimism that “now is an extraordinary time to be a woman” (Obama). His tone changes drastically from the beginning paragraph to the fourth. The way President Obama shares his personal experiences for his daughters allows his audience to further understand why he is a feminist. Obama refers to his daughters, grandmother, and wife to demonstrate that men can be feminist too, and that fathers, husbands, and sons have a particular interest in supporting women who are important to them. Obama’s tone shifts from gloomy and desolated to encouraging and motivating. 

Throughout the speech, Obama uses a series of rhetorical strategies and appeals to efficiently address the double standards that men and women face. He uses his personal experiences to assists how it has shaped his own ideas of feminism. Obama often brings up how many of his father duties fell on his wife and how that experience made him aware of the “unique challenges women face” (Obama). He follows up this statement by using a metaphor to explain how his contributions fell on his wife, Michelle, causing her to “hit a glass ceiling” (Obama). The use of the metaphor creates a visual for readers to further understand how his multiple work duties affected the important women in his life. Not only does this create a visual for his audience, it also builds an emotional and relatable connection, also known as a pathos appeal. Obama addresses the double standards women face and how his realization further built his ideas of feminism. He states that he feels the “enormous pressure girls are under to look and behave and even think a certain way” (Obama). Obama continues to explain how men also face specific standards of “masculinity” and how society believes there is a “right way and wrong way to be a man” (Obama). He addresses these double standards by using pathos and ethos to argue why people should also support feminism. His personal experiences are delivered through an ethos appeal to address his credibility and trustworthiness. President Obama’s use of pathos and ethose effectively sets up how his ideas of feminism are shaped. 

Obama uses a pattern of development known as the compare and contrast method. Specifically, he speaks on how women’s rights have improved over his lifetime. Obama states the progress that the United States has made in supporting women's rights is significantly better “than it was for [his] grandmothers” (Obama). He compares how the job market used to “basically confine women” to “poorly paid positions” even though women make up “half of the workforce” and lead many sectors of the economy (Obama). Obama uses a logos appeal to state that “more women than ever” are “financially independent” supporting that women don’t have to rely on a husband to make money (Obama). These pieces of context are extremely effective because it helps the audience understand how much progress women have made. Obama’s steps forward by stating he is working on policies to protect reproductive rights and also on equal pay. Obama continuously emphasizes the phrase “We need to…” to amplify his motivational tone towards his audience. His use of anaphora is efficient because it helps convey his argument and the repetition creates a forceful yet inspiring tone. Obama closes his article by expresses that the twenty-first century is all about feminism. He states that when “everybody is equal” then everybody will “be more free” (Obama). Obama’s use of compare and contrast patterns, anaphoras, and appeals further amplify his argument about feminism. 

President Barack Obama’s article, “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” uses multiple rhetorical strategies to motivate and inspire readers. His article is used to persuade readers to encourage women and women’s rights. Obama’s use of rhetorical devices: metaphors, anaphora, and imagery set a theme of feminism. He effectively addresses that men and women face many stereotypes that have driven society's consciousness. Not only have these double standards affected the way people view themselves but it also pressures people to conform to these standards. Obama steps forward and shares his own stories and experiences that have encouraged him to be a feminist. Like Barack Obama said, “now is an extraordinary time to be a woman.” 

Works Cited

Clinton, Hillary. “Concession Speech.” 2016, Time, https://time.com/4564480/read-hillary-clintons-concession-speech-full-transcript/. Accessed on 12 February 2022. 

Obama, Barack. “This is What A Feminist Looks Like.” 2016, Glamour, https://www.glamour.com/story/glamour-exclusive-president-barack-obama-says-this-is-what-a-feminist-looks-like/amp. Accessed on 12 February 2022.